Shoe-lace fastener



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

EDWARD H. ALCOT'I, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHOE-LACE FASTENER.

sPncIrIcAa-IN forming part ef Letters Patent No. 369,151, dated August so, 1881.

l Application filed September 27, 1886. Serial No. 214,648. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. A'Lcorr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Lace or Tie Fasteners, of which the following is a specification, to wit:

This invention relates to fasteners for the ties and laces of shoes, gloves, dsc.; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction and arrangement of the same, as will hereinafter be fully set forth and claimed.

In order to venable others to make and use the invention, I now proceed to describe its construction and operation,with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which latter- Figure lis a perspective vview of a shoe-top, illustrating the manner of using my device. Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of iny fasteners, also in perspective. Fig. 3 is a front view of the same.

In said drawings, a represents a small plate of metal having sufficient strength for the purpose. Upon one side of this plate is formed a hook or projection, a,whicl1 is bent upward slightly to facilitate the passage of the lace under it, and the plate is secured to the body of the glove, shoe, or other article upon which it is used by eyelets passingthrough the holes a2 a2.

The laceholder is indicated by b. It is formed of wire and attached to the plate transversely to the latter, as shown. There are formed in this holder two slits or openings, b b', which may be formed wholly within the body of the holder itself or between .the holder and the main plate a. This latter construction enables me to decrease the height of .the holder and reduce its size, and I therefore forni l at least one of the slits preferablyin this way.

By preference,also,both endsof the wire forming the holder are secured to the plate a.

In use the string or lace is caught under the hook a', whence it is inserted first i-n that one of the slits b next adjacent to the hook, and then, after turning around the upright portion of the holder, it is entered in the other slit b, as indicated in Fig. 1.

It will be noticed that by the use of spring metal for the holder a springpressure or clam p is exerted upon the string in each of the slits, and that .such pressure is increased in the case of each of the slits by the forcing of the string into the other slit, or by its presence therein. Thus the entrance of the string into the rst slit tends to contract the other slit, .while the forcing of the string into the latter tightens the grip upon the string in the first one.

My fastening is applicable to gloves, shoes, leggins, or in any place Where laces or cords are to be secured, and is made of various sizes v to correspond with the use to which it vis to be put.

I claim- The lace or tie fastening consisting of a plate having a hook or projection and adapted to be secured to the shoe, glove, &c., in combination with a wire holder secured to said plate and bent to forni slits b b', wherein the string may loe inserted and clamped, substantially as set forth. I

' In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDVARD H. ALCOTT. Witnesses:

W. C. MCARTHUR, W. S. MCARTHUR. 

